A blending apparatus is used to prepare food items by performing a blending operation on food stuff. The blending apparatus can include a container for receiving food for blending and a blade assembly comprising rotatable blades. The blade assembly can be removably coupled to the container such that the blades can be located within the interior of the container and rotated to perform the blending operation on the food received in the container. The blending apparatus can further include a base comprising a motor that can drive the blades of the blade assembly to perform the blending operation.
Personal blending systems have been developed with blending containers that are designed to serve a dual purpose and function as both a blending container and a drinking vessel. Typically, the container may include the foods for blending and then will connect at its top with a blade assembly. Once connected, the user may invert the container/blade assembly so that the container/blade assembly engages with the personal blending system base. Once blending is completed, the user may remove the container/blade assembly from the base, invert it again, and remove the blade assembly from the cup. The user can then directly drink from that container, or insert a top on the container for later use.
In such personal blending systems, when the container is removed from the blade assembly, the blades may be exposed. Some such personal blending systems often include a safety provision to prevent users from operating the blade assembly in the event that the container is not coupled to the blade assembly. More specifically, blenders may incorporate electrical interlocks into the blender base that can engage with magnets attached to the container. When the container is coupled to the blade assembly, the magnets will trigger the interlocks, thereby permitting the motor to be operated. However, when the container is removed from the blade assembly, the magnets and interlocks will be disengaged, thereby preventing the motor from being operated.
However, if a user wishes to use a container from a personal blending system with a base from a standard blender, such interlocks may not be present. Moreover, the personal blending system container may not operatively fit on the standard blender base. Therefore, there is a need for a mechanism that allows a user to utilize a container from a personal blending system with a standard blender base that generally prevents access to the blades within the personal blending system container.